News Cast for July 2nd:
Beat a dog go to prison..
An Okeechobee man Alexander Brock was sentencd to four years in prison for beating a female pit bull.
The dog was found shaking with fresh wounds to its head and back by sheriff deputies.
It received stitches at a local veterinarian’s office.
Brock had prior convictions for drugs, and theft related crimes.
Deputies were serving a warrant at a residence on SE 95th Trail when Brock tried to flee out a back door and deputies found the injured dog.
A Yeehaw Junction man sentenced to three years in prison for beating his senior citizen father with a hammer or hatchet at a home on Magnolia Drive.
34 year old Cory Phillippe hid in the woods and swamp lands in Osceola county for two days before being located by authorities.
The victim recovered after being flown to Melbourne’s Holmes Regional Medical Center.
Glades County schools always struggle to fund sports with so few businesses in the county.
Dr. Beth Barfield said the district took back revenues from the concession stands this year.
She noted a group claiming the district pocketed 16 thousand that could have been used for sports is an untrue statement.
“It is really sad that community members say this. They are starting rumors that are completely untrue.”
Dr. Barfield said she won’t be standing back any longer when lies are told.
NFL star Evan Neal of Okeechobee and the New York Football Giants will host a five K walk and run at the ag center on July 4th. Registration at 7 and the race at 8 am.
Pahokee cancelled fireworks this year due to the costs.
The low bid was over $37,000. They tried again and got no lower than $38,000 for a show the day after Independence Day.
Mayor Keith Babb said while the community would like fireworks, he is okay with going to Belle Glade to watch fireworks.
For the third time in a month a child has drowned in Martin County.
The latest was a one year old girl who drowned in a swimming pool at her grandmothers home in Jensen Beach on Tuesday.
Sheriff John Budensiek this is a very emotional thing for all involved, the deputies, hospital staff, and of course the family.
He encouraged families, babysitters and those who have contact with children to make sure their pools are safe.
The grand mother reported the child missing and was on the 911 call when she saw the child in the pool.
Citrus Black Spot quarantines have been issued in Florida’s DeSoto and Highlands counties.
New surveys this year detected the disease in new areas this year.
The USDA said 17 sections in DeSoto County and one in Highlands County are now under quarantine, along with additional sections added in Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties.
The disease was first found in Florida in 2010.
The strict rules limit how citrus fruit and plants can be transported out of these areas.
Citrus black spot is a fungal disease that impacts citrus trees. The disease can result in dark sports or blotches on the rinds of the fruit.
This can lead to early fruit drop from the tree and reduced crop yields.